The book in written with innocent sincerity. It may be manipulative, but it's not phony. A better writer than Salinger easily could write a book about a troubled yet appealing teenager, but its artifice and insincerity would be self-evident and readers would reject it as false. It is from Jerome David Salinger's heart. He said everything he had to say in it, which may well be why he has said nothing else.

One of the major reasons
The Catcher in the Rye
is banned in some school libraries is because of the sexual content and offensive language used. The sexual content is not explicit in nature, but parents are opposed to the book being a part of the curriculum for high school students. Holden thinks, talks, and worries about sex frequently in the book and even believes his friends are sexually active. This is typical behavior of an average teenage boy. The sexual content in the book cannot be any worse than what teenagers are seeing on television shows and in music videos. It is third on the list of most challenged. Other reasons include many of the characters in the book are drinking and smoking. And there is also two references to suicide.

The book had many influences including

-popularized the slang verb "screw up"

The way that Salinger wrote this book made teens be able to connect with the book on a much deeper level
. On the contrary, many parents were outraged that their teens were reading a book with so many controversial subjects. This book includes several references to violence, premarital sex, bad language, and the use of drugs an alcohol. Even though it has a couple of good life lessons, parents did not want their kids to read the book. Some extreme theories suggest that this book is some type of mind control. However, teens seemed to really connect to Hold Holden Caulfield. Just like Holden, Teens go through many hardships, causing them to feel many different emotions. Having someone to relate to made this book much more enjoyable for teens because they had a similar train of thought as the main character. As an example, many kids also thought the world was full of fakes. They thought that the book had many things that teenagers do almost on a daily basis.


-The most well-known event associated with The Catcher in the Rye is when
Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon
. Chapman identified with the novel's narrator to the extent that he wanted to change his name to Holden Caulfield. On the night he shot Lennon, Chapman was found with a copy of the book in which he had written "This is my statement" and signed Holden's name.

-A Rebel Without a Cause(1955) is widely regarded as one of the first American films to look into the teen mind

-In the Boy Meets World episode "Poetic License: An Ode to Holden Caulfield", Shawn has written a poem called "An Unpublished Manuscript for J.D. Salinger".

-Many songs and books have been based off of, or got their ideas, from Catcher in the Rye.

Part of the reason the Catcher in the Rye had such an impact is because most books at that time were about admirable youngsters whose hard work allowed them to overcome any obstacle and defiantly didn't doubt themselves or the adults who offered valuable advice.


Teens today can still connect to Catcher in the Rye on an emotional level. This can be hard at times because the language is quite different and unfamiliar, but still the actions and ways specific to teens still hold true.


Catcher in the Rye is not totally accepted by people in the 20th century, and even in the 21st century. It continues to be banned by many schools across the country for suggestive, adult themes, coarse language, sexual scenes, and intense violence. The effect it had on the adult generation of the 1900’s was bad. In 1960, a teacher from Tusla, Oklahoma was fired for assigning the book to an eleventh grade English class.

Teenagers of its time related so well to the book. However I have done some research and found that not ALL teenagers during the 50’s-60’s felt the same way about the book. Some adored the book, saying it was like the book was written by someone who went to there school, that it speaks directly to them. Yet others felt like it was not a great depiction of high school students at all.
The teenagers of this day in age feel and respond the same way. Some kids dislike it to the point of where a High school girl created a YouTube video of her stabbing the book repeatedly and then burning It on her family’s grill.


Referred to by some as “One of America’s literary treasures.”

“Speaks clearly to the teenage soul.”

When this text was first published there were two opposing reactions to the novel. One group believed it introduced a new perspective into American literature and the opposing group saw it as a corrupting force on young people.Teenagers today who are going through emotional stages in their life can connect to the Holden's character. They feel that adults have all the freedom. Also the teens that move into the adult world start to understand Holden's character more because of what they've been through as a young teen. But many other kids that read the book say they dislike is because they don't understand Holden as a being they didn't believer what he believed in, and could not really have a connection with him. Most teens also try to grow up as fast as they can like the character Holden Caulfield. But everyone learns that childhood does not last forever and you should protect your youth and innocence until fully grown. There are many similarities between Holden and teens today and they are mainly based on categories, for example: teenage relationships, the punishment of growing up, etc. "Have you ever had someone ignore your text? Ever lock yourself in your room with some angsty music to get away from it all? Feel like school, and getting a job, and trying is sometimes a joke?" People that think these ways have more in common with Holden then they think. Therefore, teens today should have no problem trying to connect with him.
There were many notorious events and people connected to the novel The Catcher In the Rye. The assassination of John Lennon is connected to The Catcher and the Rye because the day of his assignation he was asked to sign his killer’s copy of it. The most well-known event associated with The Catcher in the Rye is arguably Mark David Chapman's shooting of John Lennon. Chapman identified with the novel's narrator to the extent that he wanted to change his name to Holden Caulfield. On the night he shot Lennon, Chapman was found with a copy of the book in which he had written "This is my statement" and signed Holden's name. John Hinckley was also a big fan of the book, which make people believe this book connects with lunatic people. John Hinckley is known for attempting to assassinate the U.S. president, Ronald Regan. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity.